The objective of the Administrative Core is to provide overall guidance, coordination and leadership for the Center. The administrative and scientific leadership of the Center is provided by Dr. N.F. LaRusso, Director, and Drs. G. Farrugia, G.J Gores, and V.H. Shah, Associate Directors, in conjunction with an Executive Committee, an Internal Advisory Committee-, and an External Advisory Committee. The Executive Committee is comprised of the Director, Associate Directors, Core Directors, and the Leaders of the Mechanistic Research Theme groups (Signal Transduction, Membrane Receptors/Ion Channels, and Genetics/Gene Regulation) and meets monthly. The Executive Committee will periodically assess the Research Base striving to enhance membership by committed investigators, especially by attracting additional investigators to pursue digestive disease studies. The Internal Advisory Committee will meet quarterly and will provide regular input to the Executive Committee regarding the strategic direction of the Center and will facilitate communication with institutional leaders to ensure that the Center remains responsive to overall institutional needs. The External Advisory Committee consists of four internationally prominent investigators who are leaders in digestive disease research and will meet annually in person and by conference call as needed to provide regular feedback to the Executive Committee. An Administrator will provide the necessary support for real-time financial management and operations of the Center. The administrative leadership will assure responsiveness of the Center Cores to the needs of the Research Base, and provide oversight for Core functions. In addition, the Administrative Core will support and manage the Scientific Enrichment Program, which is comprised of: i.) a seminar series involving intra- and extra-mural speakers;ii.) research retreats for the Center members and fellows/graduate students;and, iii.) a Mini-Sabbatical Program. Finally, the Administrative Core will coordinate the Pilot and Feasibility Program, which is designed to attract new and seasoned investigators to pursue digestive disease research. This Administrative Core is already functional as illustrated by the coordinated efforts required to develop and submit this proposal.